Apparatus for manufacturing packing containers



March 19, 1968 H. HE'IM 3,373,663

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PACKING CONTAINERS Filed April 19, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 19, 1968 H. HElM 3,373,663

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PACKING CONTAINERS Filed April 19, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flg 2 2 2 l 2 2 I! I1 I I United States Patent M ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for making packing containers is disclosed in which an indexable mandrel wheel is provided with equi-spaced pairs of mandrels around which the containers are formed at recessive stations so that two containers are in course of being formed at each station.

Background of the invention Hitherto one form of apparatus for making packing containers has included a mandrel wheel provided with a series of equi-spaced mandrels and indexable to present each mandrel to successive processing stations at which are provided respectively container forming means such as seaming devices, fold boxes, base folding and closing devices, only one mandrel being at each station at a time. Since operation at each station requires a finite time for completion, there is a practical limit to the output of the apparatus, and an object of the present invention is to enable double the output to be obtained without decreasing the time available for each operation.

Summary of the invention According to the present invention in an apparatus for manufacturing packing containners, a mandrel wheel indexable to present a series of mandrels at successive sta tions at which are provided respectively container forming means such as longitudinal sealers, fold boxes, base folders and sealers, is provided with equi-spaced pairs of substantially parallel radially extending mandrels so as to present two mandrels at each successive station, and two containers forming means such as longitudinal sealers, fold boxes, base folding and closing means are provided respectively at successive stations whereby two containers can be in process of formation at each station at the same time.

Brief description of the drawings The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention for manufacturing a packing container which container has an inner shell and an outer shell, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiments Fold mandrels 2 are arranged in parallel radially extended pairs on a mandrel wheel 1, this arrangement of the fold mandrels being different from the customary arrangement; the mandrels 2 in each pair are spaced at substantially equal distances from a centre line such as 2 extending through the axis of the mandrel wheel. The fold mandrels are otherwise constructed in the same manner as those of 3,373,563 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 ICC conventional mandrel wheels. The wheel is indexable to bring each pair of mandrels into successive stations denoted by the references A, B, C, D, E, F and G. A strip of material 4, from which an inner shell of a packing container is to be constructed, is cut in a longitudinal direction by a blade 5 and divided into two portions by a blade 6, which portions are applied in a conventional manner to the two fold mandrels 2 at the first processing station A under the action of the two fold boxes 7. A longitudinal seam is then welded or glued in a known manner, so that the packing material is wrapped around the two mandrels 2 only in a hose-like manner. The mandrel wheel 1 is now indexed in the direction of the arrow to bring these mandrels to the second processing station B where two base folding and closing devices 8 fold and seal the hose portions projecting beyond the ends of the mandrels. Two further fold boxes 9 are arranged at the next station C. Outer blanks fed from stacks 10 at this station are applied by the fold boxes 9 on to the inner portions previously formed on the fold mandrels. The outer blanks are subsequently longitudinal seamed.

At the next station D base folding and closing devices 11 form bases to the outer shells, and base pressing devices 12 are provided at the next two stations E and F for pressing the packing container bases flat. At the final station G, the finished containers, still open at the top, are removed from the two fold mandrels and inserted into compartments of a twin conveyor arrangement 13. This conveyor arrangement brings the containers into the vertical position and carries them to filling stations 14 and subsequently to the stations (not illustrated in the drawings) where the filled packing containers are sealed.

Since the carrying out of the separate folding operations always requires a certain period of time for each operation, which period of time cannot be reduced, there are limits to increasing the production by accelerating the operating cycles. The described construction of the mandrel wheel, whereby two packing containers may be constructed simultaneously on each pair of mandrels, enables production to be doubled, whilst the increase in the space occupied by the arrangement is only negligible.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for the manufacture of packaging containers, a rotatably mounted mandrel wheel, indexible to a plurality of equally spaced angular positions, a plurality of pairs of mandrels projecting outwardly from said mandrel wheel in one and the same plane that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said mandrel wheel, the two mandrels of a pair being equally spaced to both sides of and substantially parallel with a straight line through the center of said mandrel wheel, said straight lines being equally spaced angularly, and a plurality of means for operating on said containers being disposed at such locations around said mandrel wheel as to permit simultaneous operations on the containers on the two mandrels of a pair in said indexing positions of the mandrel wheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,910 11/1932 Gwinn et a1 9344.l 3,248,841 5/1966 Heifelfinger et al 53-29 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. 

